GO IRELAND: GARY QUINNhad kayaked before, but he missed the buzz of his early days on the water. Then he discovered sea kayaking
I LEARNED TO KAYAK in Monaghan. Flat water, open skies, loads of wildlife and a serious workout. I filled summers paddling the lakes around my home. Now, with my thirties quickly running out, like most men I’ve found myself trying to recapture some of the magic of those youthful days, when anything was possible and the sight of a flock of swans gliding in to land on the water could quicken the pulse.
But this is dangerous territory. I had been disappointed before, bravely following gangs of paddlers on to rivers, shooting down weirs and plunging into murky rivers. River kayaking had to be the next logical step, I had thought. It was exciting, fast and furious. It worked muscles long depleted, and the camaraderie on the water was infectious. But it never quite delivered the buzz that started it all. I came off the Liffey one day and thought, I’m still hooked but not quite home.
A couple of years and a major back injury later and I stood on a beach in Skerries, in north Co Dublin, watching two paddlers on the water and was overcome with envy. The sea was like glass, the sun reflecting off the water, birds soared through a huge blue sky and the paddlers’ voices bounced back and forth as their boats sliced gracefully through the tide. This was what I was after.
I didn’t know it then, but one of these paddlers was Seán Pierce, who, with the champion kayaker Eileen Murphy, had recently set up Shearwater Sea Kayaking, operating out of Howth. Shearwater is a haven for lonely paddlers like me. It offers group courses and trips for beginners and experienced paddlers alike in north Co Dublin, as well as two- and three-day trips to places such as Donegal, Kerry and Connemara.
Pierce and Murphy have a real passion for their sport and for training, and, indeed, if you let them they can take you from beginner to experienced paddler in no time. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and while guiding you expertly out into deeper water they will constantly remind you to look at the coastline, the seabirds or the islands that they’re planning to circumnavigate.
They have kayaked every centimetre of the Irish coastline and are determined to show people how exciting Ireland is for this sport.
And as you worry about the cold they’ll quickly remind you that sea kayaking is better here because of our ever-changing weather. While it’s great to paddle in brilliant sunshine and calm waters, it’s a fantastic thrill to follow this up with a sudden battle through a tidal race or a quick squall of rain and wind.
Combine this with the diversity of widlife and ever-changing coastline and you begin to see why Ireland is quickly being recognised as one of the most exciting places to kayak in Europe. Adventure and beauty all rolled into one dramatic experience that never fails to surprise. But to appreciate it all you need to know what you’re doing, so getting proper training is crucial.
I signed up for a one-day skills-development course in Howth, designed for people who have some kayaking experience but not necessarily on the sea or who have just become rusty over time.
It sits between their Try Sea Kayaking day for beginners and the more advanced training courses that follow it. It was perfect for me. I love the sport but know my limits and just how much training I need.
The day starts with your kit. Shearwater provides everything, including wetsuits, buoyancy aids, kayaks, paddles and spray decks. All participants have to worry about is their footwear and a packed lunch – if you’re on one of the beginner courses, lunch in a Howth restaurant is included in your fee.
Once we got on the water we stayed within the harbour walls and ran through safety drills, practising our paddling and turning. The instructors also get a chance to assess our ability and training needs. The knowledge that you’re about to go out into open water creates a steep learning curve. The instructors quickly recognised my major errors and worked on my paddle strokes and turning, and quickly helped me manage my balance and co-ordination.
Many of the skills from other kinds of kayaking are transferable to the sea, but the new environment can take a while to get used to. But it’s worth it.
It creates a flood of new experiences, and for someone like me, who has waited a long time to get out on the water, the experience of paddling out on to open sea is incredible. The combination of riding real waves, the sunshine, the camaraderie of the group and the workout that my muscles were getting was terrific. It provided me with a natural high that persisted the entire day. An unusually warm January day coupled with low winds and huge blue skies only added to the experience.
As I cut through each wave the instructors alongside me shouted advice: paddle slower, deeper, wider. My natural instinct had been to paddle as hard and as furiously as I could – I was taking on the sea, after all – but, as I learned, the sea isn’t there to be beaten. You have to accept that you’re riding it and to take things more slowly and carefully. When I did I was amazed at how fast and comfortably I could move with so little effort, and once I had established a rhythm and a sense of control I remembered how this thing worked.
Kayaking works most of the muscles in your body, and your brain, too. You are constantly adjusting your posture and form to drive your boat forward while trying to maintain balance and control. It builds your upper body strength and what they call core stability. At the same time you’re watching for any possible danger and looking out for where you’re going next. A real mental and physical workout, and a lot of fun.
My biggest surprise of the day was how beautiful Howth was from the water. I’d walked it many times, and knew it had cliffs and coastline, but because it’s in Dublin I had never thought of it as a wild place. As we paddled beneath its cliffs I began to see it in a whole new light. Once you get on the water it’s just as wild and full of life as anywhere else in Ireland. It was offering me what I would have instinctively travelled hours to find elsewhere, and all within a short Dart ride from the city centre.
The point of the day was to develop our skills, so Murphy and Pierce were taking us into situations that we hadn’t experienced before, involving how to recognise danger and, if necessary, how to handle a capsize and rescue. Mostly these exercises meant paddling into and safely through strong currents and tides. On the way out we had been paddling with the tide, so had benefitted from its current, but where tides meet obstacles, such as cliffs, caves or rocks, competing currents and stronger waves are created, and these can be hazardous for an inexperienced paddler.
We had to learn how to tackle them, so were lined up and told what to expect and how to deal with it. In twos we were brought out into deeper water to do a series of exercises, with instructors ready at various points to help fish us out of the sea, if need be.
And needed they were. Capsizing, and learning to do it properly, is part of a paddler’s training. It’s also what scares most people when they are starting out, but once conquered it becomes a skill in itself. No one sets out with the intention of capsizing or getting into danger, but, as the sea is so unpredictable, learning how to deal with it gives you the confidence to enjoy the rest of a trip even more.
As they explain from the outset, sea kayaking is an adventure sport and demands smart thinking and adherence to rules. Indeed, Murphy and Pierce do a very handsome good-cop, bad-cop routine. For all the fun on the water they were there to keep us safe, so while one of them was always encouraging us to push ourselves further and try a bigger wave, the other was coming behind, shouting instructions and keeping us in line.
We spent the rest of the day like this, trying not to capsize, making it through choppy water and surprising ourselves with how much we learned. We landed on a beach for lunch and some hot drinks, then headed back out.
In all we spent five hours on the water, the changing weather signalling a return to port. Sunshine turned to rain and then hail. The wind picked up and the waves joined them. Our adrenalin gave us another jolt as we were taught to surf the waves, loving the thrill of being lifted by a wave but terrified of capsizing in such heavy weather.
Eventually we took shelter back inside the harbour walls as the rain came down in sheets. In the spirit of building even more experience one of the instructors offered to go out again, despite the rain, with whoever was up for it. All but one of us refused. Fifteen minutes later we were standing back on dry land as the sun broke through the clouds. The sea calmed, the wind disappeared and the day was perfect again. You should never give up hope in the ability of Irish weather to change, I thought, and kicked myself for coming back in early. I knew then I’d be back.
Shearwater Sea Kayaking, Manor Kilbride, Blessington, Co Wicklow, 087-9885658, www.shearwaterseakayaking.ie. The skills-development day costs €105, all equipment included
Where else to learn
DublinDeep Blue Sea Kayaking. Cluainín, Barchuillia Commons, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow, 01-2760263, www.deepblueseakayaking.com.
CorkAtlantic Sea Kayaking. 028-21058, www.atlanticseakayaking.com.
DonegalGartan Outdoor Education Centre. Church Hill, Letterkenny, 074-9137032, www.gartan.com.
Galway-MayoSaoirse na Mara. 086-1733610, www. irelandwestseakayaking.com.
WaterfordSeapaddling. com. The Bushes, Islandtarsney South, Fenor, 051-393314, www.seapaddling.com.
Northern IrelandCanoe Northern Ireland. The Stableyard, Barnett's Demesne, Malone Road, Belfast, 048-90303930, www.canoeni.com.
Irish Canoe UnionSport HQ, 13 Joyce Way, Park West, Dublin, 01-6251105, www.canoe.ie.
Irish Sea Kayaking Associationwww.irishsea kayakingassociation.org.